Arapahoe County voters on Tuesday bucked the anti-tax trend that was popular during Tuesday’s off-year election, overwhelmingly supporting a sales-and-use tax that brings $18 million to the county every year for trails, open space and parks.

“People have seen the value of what we do,” said Ellen Belef, chair of the Yes on 1A campaign.

Elsewhere around Colorado, almost every ballot issue to raise taxes was defeated, including the statewide Proposition 103 that asked voters to approve raising the state income tax and sales tax to support K-12 education.

In Aurora, a ballot proposal to fund community recreation centers also failed, but not the reinstatement of the trails, parks and open space tax that was created in 2003 and is relatively small — 25 cents on a $100 purchase. The tax was due to sunset after 10 years. Roughly 62 percent of voters approved its reinstatement.

Supporters believe that its approval was probably because it was a reinstatement, not a new tax. And that its benefits are so obvious — acquisition of land and improvements along the South Platte Trail, purchase of open space and money for cities in the county. Fifty percent of the revenue is returned to cities and towns based upon population to be used to enhance their parks, trails and open space.

The city of Aurora, for example, has received almost $40 million from the tax over the past nine years.

“The program has been well run, visible, people aware of it and people are aware of the investments,” said Tim Wohlgenant, Colorado State Director of the Trust for Public Land. “People do really value in those investments in parks and trails and quality of life. People recognize that. These days, a lot of people are staying home and using their parks and trails more. They really appreciate that experience in nature.”

Not much has changed percentage-wise since yesterday’s update as tonight’s voting deadline ends.

The Grand Old Party continued to lead Democrats by a wide margin — 41.3 percent to 33.5 percent. Unaffiliated voters account for 24.6 of ballots cast as of this afternoon, according to Secretary of State filings.

The Grand Old Party had turned in 315,333, or amount 42 percent, of the 754,751 total collected by this afternoon. Democrats had turned in 251,765, or about 33 percent. Unaffiliated cast 183,866, or about 24 percent. Voting concludes tomorrow at 7 p.m.

The only statewide contest this year is Proposition 103, which would boost education funding by raising state income tax and sales tax for five years. Given the Republican no-new-taxes stance, such turnout would suggest 103 faces a tough fight.

Now, just days away from overseeing his first statewide election as secretary of state, Gessler stopped by to talk about the lawsuit, steps his office is taking to make ballots open for public record and what he thinks of Proposition 103 (the only statewide ballot initiative in this year’s election).

And Heath pointed to an editorial last month in the Grand Junction Sentinel, which serves a conservative region. The paper endorsed Proposition 103, calling Heath “irrepressible.” That was after two editorials expressing concern.

What happened?

“After meeting with Heath, the entire editorial board decided the problems for education in this state are so great, that returning to 1999 levels of sales and income tax made sense,” Bob Silbernagel, the editorial page editor of the Sentinel, told The Spot.

So it appears the GOP is more energized for this off-year election, given that the totals show Democratic turnout at 33 percent and Republican turnout at 42 percent. But who knows how those unaffiliated will go?

Here in highly Democratic Denver, where a paid sick day measure is in play – Initiative 300 – Democrats have returned 32,757 ballots and Republicans 13,434. Unaffiliated voters roughly mirror Republicans with 13,517 votes cast.

Great Education Colorado, a key group backing the measure, asked the governor and lawmakers point blank:

“First, will you support Proposition 103?

Second, regardless of your position on the initiative, will you pledge that, if Proposition 103 prevails, you will implement the statute as enacted by the voters and oppose any effort to overturn it? We ask because Proposition 103’s very specific requirement that the new revenues be used for education could only be changed if the General Assembly (i.e., you and your colleagues) actively seek to reverse the will of the voters.”

A new conservative political attack group is going after its first Democratic candidate, state Sen. Evie Hudak of Westminster.

In a TV ad campaign that will begin Friday and run 10 days, Compass Colorado blasts Hudak for her support of Proposition 103, the nearly $3 billion tax increase measure for education. Hudak, a former teacher and member of the State Board of Education, was already in a highly competitive Senate district, but with a new District 19 drawn by the Colorado Reapportionment Commission, Hudak’s district would be reordered with a dead-even split.

Election worker Partia Byrd watches over the voting area at the Denver Voters Service Center in May.

Coloradans who plan to vote in the November election have until this Monday, Oct. 3, to register or change an address.

Voters who have recently moved are encouraged to verify with their local elections division that their address information on file is correct.

Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler earlier this month announced that his office has created an updated version of GoVoteColorado.com, and says the site is slated to act as an information clearinghouse for both domestic and overseas voters.

Those with a state issued ID card can use the new site to register to vote; update their voter registration; request a mail ballot; or find their polling place.

In a sign that opponents of Proposition 103 are taking the tax hike initiative at least somewhat seriously, an opposition campaign plans to officially launch Thursday at the Capitol.

Proposition 103 would raise sales and income taxes for five years, generating an estimated $3 billion for public schools and colleges. The measure made the ballot despite the fact that its proponents, led by Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, have relatively little money for a statewide campaign and lack the backing of major business organizations.

Called the Save Colorado Jobs campaign, organizers, led by former state Rep. Victor Mitchell, R-Castle Rock, are holding a press conference at 1 p.m. in the Capitol. Other Republican lawmakers expected to be there include Rep. Jim Kerr of Littleton, Rep. David Balmer of Centennial and state Sen. Bill Cadman, of Colorado Springs.

According to a press advisory, opponents “will discuss how this proposition will not only slow an already anemic economic recovery in Colorado, but how this measure will also deplete Colorado’s job market by an alarming 119,000 jobs over its five-year inception.”

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.